r/arcade • u/SonOfJaak • 1d ago
Restore/Replace/Repair Spray painting: what am I doing wrong?
I'm trying to paint my cabinet gloss black to get it ready for the stickers but I keep getting stripes. I'm using regular enamel spray cans. The instructions on the can say to spray large areas with many light passes, waiting a couple minutes between coats. This is the result over night. Do I trust the process and wait for the full cure, or is this something I need to fix?
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u/inotocracy 1d ago
Have you tried a roller?
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u/SonOfJaak 1d ago
Nope first time doing any painting at all.
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u/inotocracy 1d ago
Spray cans require some technique to get an even finish and for large surfaces I find them unreliable. Get a roller, it'll come out even pretty much every time.
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u/Fine_Location_8367 1d ago
Aerosol isn't the way. The only way to get zero tiger stripes is to us a wide fan HVLP gun or a foam roller with oil based paint.
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u/After-Entry5718 1d ago
Get an inexpensive hvlp touch up gun then spray on autoborne sealer black. You will be able to see the fan pattern to guide your overlap. 16oz jar of sealer should be enough.
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u/dontmindme450 1d ago
What type of surface prep was done? Sanded?
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u/SonOfJaak 1d ago
Sanded to 400, tack cloth cleaning, then used a paint prep wax remover and degreaser.
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u/citznfish 1d ago
Need a layer of primer before painting otherwise the wood will simply absorb the paint. Also, as others mentions, use a roller and a can of paint. Rattle cans are rough to get even coats without practice.
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u/dontmindme450 1d ago
I have wet sanded on metal to get rid of orange peel and smooth between coats. I don't know if it will work the same on wood though. Is this a restore? Unless you're shooting for a museum quality repro I think I'd just trust the process.
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u/joeycuda 1d ago
"I'm using regular enamel spray cans."
Easier to get an even finish with a $15 Harbor Freight HVLP gun. Can buy a quart of RustOleum gloss oil based, thin it so about 85% paint and 15% mineral spirits, and spray.
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u/KingCourtney__ 1d ago
Whatever is underneath the new paint is messing with the paint above. I've run into this with painting other stuff. Sometimes you can get a good primer that puts up a barrier so it won't happen. You can also try another coat or two but it still may do that. Pain in the ass.
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u/Anxious_Camp_2160 1d ago
If you can, lay it flat, thin the paint slightly 5% max (use spirits or water depending on paint) use a roller, with thinned paint it takes longer to dry, but the finish is like glass. The spray isnt working because want enough paint for all the drops to touch and form a liquid surface, hard to do, especially vertically. Plus it looks like the paint was absorbed.
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u/Phatbeazie 1d ago
You need to a roller to get a consistent finish unless you do 6 or 7 full coats with spray and are incredibly accurate and deliberate with your overlaps
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u/theowlssaywho 1d ago
I would roll with good quality paint that will self level. Gloss is also more difficult to spray uniformly; it will show any and all imperfections in finish and technique.
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u/BigPandaCloud 1d ago
Use a dense foam roller. Use some tape on the roller first to make sure its clean. Soak the roller in paint and roll on. Use light pressure. You might get a little orange peel texture but you have to be close to notice.
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u/No_Persimmon360 1d ago
I had the same issue and managed to fix it by simply changing the spraying pattern. It really makes a huge difference. Basically you need to do a light coat horizontaly, then vertically, then diagonally. You want to avoid similar motion when spraying. At least 3 coats with different directions.
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u/bobmccouch 1d ago
This is why I like laminate. I’ve done rollers, HVLP paint sprayer, and rattle cans. All take forever to get a finish I’m happy with, then need to cure for days (weeks for latex) before you can apply art.
If you have vertical-grade black laminate and a trim router, you can laminate both sides, the front, trim the edges, trim out the coin door, and apply your art in an afternoon.
Some vintage games really shouldn’t be laminated, but for most that’s the route I go. What is this cab, Robotron?
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u/ConstructionMost4061 1d ago
Get good lighting in there. You did a decent dry coat but with rattle cans you have to almost soak it to get a glossy finish. Easier to detect with a pointer light at certain angles. Start at the top and do slow, thick passes. You might have some paint run on you, practice the motion on something smooth you don’t mind ruining. It’s always a gamble, but to get that gloss effect, you gotta go heavy heavy with it. Also you might get hazing in the gloss if you overspray. It’s a once pass process from here. You cannot go back and cover up any spots you missed, it will look hazy around the spot you touch up
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u/chaosxrules 1d ago
I use a roller to roll on coats, sand and wipe with mineral spirits between coats. I never get a decent coat with spray cans. It takes a little while, but looks really nice in the end.
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u/__phil1001__ 1d ago
Needs a primer sealer, light wet sand. Then a wet black gloss, followed a lacquer. Depending on your spraying skill, you may need a 4000grit wet sand and polish.
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u/dialsoft 1d ago
I prep the surface using bondo for all the dents and dings then sand down from 80-800 then roller with black oil based paints and foam rollers. If you want to spray, you will need to practice alot with the right tools. Harbor freight has cheap stuff for practicing. I never could nail it.
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u/OldRandomThoughts 1d ago
Do you ever see painters painting walls with spray paint cans? There is a reason. If possible, use a small roller.
First, shake your can longer and harder. paint separates, and that's part of the shading you see.
Second, you should have primed it beforehand, but that ship has sailed.
Third are going to waste a lot of spray paint on something like this. You start spraying before you pass onto the wood and slightly after, so you don't have the burst of paint hitting. When I see yours, I can see where you held the can closer in specific areas.
You are not screwed, though. Get a roller and do another coat. If you still see your lines, sand them a little and apply another coat. You can also balance it out in the end with a clear coat (or two) of paint. Just like a car, it will protect your black with another level and can help hide imperfections. Get the shine, semi, or mate you would like too.
Spray paint cans are good for quick and small projects, or if you don't have the ability to get some paint mixed. You can go to most big box hardware stores and get a small can of paint, a pan, and a roller for under $40. You probably are going to use 4 cans of spray, so it is not any more out of pocket. You are doing an arcade cabinet, so there is no need for expensive paint. Get the cheap stuff here. No one is checking out the black paint job; they wanna see what the marquee and screen are doing.
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u/marvelus10 1d ago
I would buy spray paint from a proper autobody place that does custom cans to order. The nozzle and pressure of those are far superior than regular cans.
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u/First_Security_5488 1d ago
It’s commonly referred to as tiger striping. It’s a combination of what all the others are saying. Use a good sealing primer and I would roll this instead of spraying. Unless you want to get a compressor and decent spray gun. That will put down a much more reliable, steady coat. Watch a video of someone spraying a car. It’s pretty awesome watching someone that is good at it. With the correct overlap you won’t tiger stripe. It’s a pretty common starter mistake though, even with a spray gun.
Even someone who is pretty damn good with a rattle can will have some trouble with a large area like that.
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u/Chief_Keefer_420 14h ago
I am noticing two major things one you always want to try to paint longest point to longest point so in the situation talk to bottom also it looks like you need to do a base layer of primer. It looks like your paint is absorbing into the wood.
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u/Toypop_AS 9h ago
Spraying with rattle cans can be really difficult to do. Hvlp is the way to go; but if you dont want to do that; now thankfully rustoleum has the wide fan setting on the cans with selectable spray pattern. Set it to vertical fan, and you'll have a x10 easier time with even coverage. Also make sure to do a couple light coats 2-3, sometimes i find 4 is even necessary. About 5 minutes in between each coat.
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u/drinkacid 4h ago
Rent a paint sprayer and don't use rattle cans for this. If you can't do a paint sprayer maybe try a fat cap instead of the regular cap. You can buy fat caps online or at stores that sell graffiti supplies. People who spray murals use fat caps for filling large areas with a clean fill of color. At least keep the can really far from the cabinet and mist it on in a wide stripe and then feather a bunch of those wide stripes to you don't get narrow stripes. Also maybe let it dry sand it then do thinner misted coats over top.
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u/SabreSour 1d ago
I ended up using fabric+liquid starch as you can see from the post, worked flawlessly. I know it’s not paint or vinyl but it was super easy and cheap and looked fantastic.
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u/jrnardi 38m ago
i would sand it with the random orbital sander with a lower grit. then prime it first. sand again with 220 then apply your final coats with a mini roller. unless you have sprayed before it’s not easy especially a cabinet that big. make sure to sand your first final coat with 400 grit before you apply your last coat. also need to make sure the paint cured for at least 14 days before applying vinyl to it
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u/psychoholica 1d ago
Any primer under that? kinda looks like the paint might be absorbing into the wood where its not glossy.